Muni dead last in safety for state, PUC says

Tyche Hendricks, OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

Published 4:00 am, Friday, March 19, 1999

1999-03-19 04:00:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco's Municipal Railway was California's most accident-prone rail transit system for a second straight year in 1998, a status one San Francisco supervisor called shocking.

Accident figures for 1998, released this week by the California Public Utilities Commission, are similar to 1997 statistics and reflect the status quo at Muni, according to a state official.

"It's probably typical of what has been the case at Muni for some time," said Gary Rosenthal, a senior supervisor with the commission's Rail Safety and Carriers Division.

"Muni is in the process of trying to make a lot of improvements, but until that all comes together, we may not see any significant improvement" in the accident rate.

Muni reported 156 accidents in 1998, exceeding the four other light-rail systems in California. Muni's rate of accidents per 100,000 miles of train travel was also the highest in the state. Muni had 4.2 accidents per 100,000 miles of travel last year, while Los Angeles, Santa Clara, Sacramento and San Diego recorded 2.71, 2.34, 1.98 and 1.34 accidents, respectively.

"These numbers are shocking," Supervisor Leslie Katz said. "For us to be double another jurisdiction, that really makes you sit up and take notice. We're going to be very aggressive" in demanding improvements from Muni.

As bad as the numbers look, Muni spokesman P.J. Johnston said Muni's streetcars are exposed to more safety hazards than light-rail systems that run on dedicated tracks, set apart from city traffic.

"Our accident rate on rail is largely a result of the fact that San Francisco has a unique rail system by transit industry standards," he said. "We face much greater exposure because our rail lines run on city streets with automobiles and pedestrians. We've got to deal with bicycles and cross-traffic and (drivers making) left turns."

Richard Mlynarik, of the transit watchdog group Rescue Muni, said he agreed San Francisco's traffic makes a challenging environment for operating streetcars. Given that, he said the most alarming figures in the PUC report were the numbers of derailments and collisions between trains, 16 and 18 respectively, not including several such accidents inside Muni's rail yards.

"Those numbers are extremely disturbing," Mlynarik said. "That's something that should never happen. Muni needs to create a culture where those things are unacceptable."

By contrast, Santa Clara had two derailments in 1998 and San Diego had one. No other transit agency had a collision between trains.

Muni had not only the highest number of accidents, but the most injuries of any of the transit systems measured, with 98 people seeking medical treatment after a train-related injury. In 1997, Muni's 151 accidents resulted in 65 injuries.

Supervisor Tom Ammiano said the accident rate is symptomatic of larger problems at Muni.

"It points to the fact of the underfunding and the understaffing, where people burn out and get tired, and our equipment has not been top-notch," he said. "We really need to see the restructuring of Muni - some of it means more money, some of it means a change in management, working with drivers; we're really ripe for it. We can't continue at this rate."

Following the state commission's 1997 report, and a scathing review by the National Transportation Safety Board, Muni and the state commission devised a plan for a safety overhaul at Muni.

The plan includes replacing antiquated procedures with a new safety rule book, retraining all of Muni's operators and maintenance employees, developing a formal accident investigation program, and monitoring compliance with the new rules, said the PUC's Rosenthal.

"They're on the right track," he said of Muni, "but the entire thing will probably take at least a couple of years."

Johnston said Muni has also increased the number of safety officers from one to four, but added that Seattle's transit system has a safety staff of 12.

The state report also looked at the accident rate on San Francisco's cable cars, which was even higher, at 6.79 accidents per 100,000 miles.

But the report noted that the 19th century cable car design cannot be updated to improve safety because it is historically protected.

"You almost expect it," Rosenthal said of the accident rate, "when you have a vehicle going down hills with people hanging off the sides."

The state commission doesn't monitor transit accidents involving diesel buses or electric trolley coaches. But Rosenthal said last fall that federal transportation safety officials are discussing a formal safety program for buses.&lt;